THE DRIVING FORCE

SAGREE SARDIEN, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and Head of Region of Mercedes-Benz Cars SEA II, talks to FLOREY D MIKIL about her decades-long career in the automotive industry

- FLOREY D MIKIL

With over two decades of automotive experience, including 13 years of service at Daimler, there is no one better than Sagree Sardien to hold the role as the first female President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and the Head of Region of Mercedes-Benz Cars SEA II. She began her career in Daimler's Fleet Management division as the Head of Operations and went on to hold various leadership positions across the Daimler organizations in South Africa. She then relocated to Germany in 2018 for the role of Head of Sales for Region Overseas markets. We talk to the inspiring leader and learn more of her thoughts on being a powerful female figure in a male-dominated industry.

Have you always had an interest in automotive? When did you realise that you wanted a career in the automotive industry?

Interestingly enough, my first job began in this sector 22 years ago by complete co-incidence within the Fleet management space. This piqued my initial interest in the automotive industry and immediately ignited a flame within me, which eventually culminated in the industry becoming home for me. The automotive environment was a completely new domain for females, which further intensified my burning passion to succeed in this space.